SMS 620 Camaro From Saleen
Steve Saleen completes his SMS muscle car trio with the introduction of the SMS 620 Camaro. The Mustang and Challenger have already received the SMS brand treatment in the forms of the SMS 460 Mustang and the SMS 570 Challenger.
The 0-60 specs are 4.3 seconds for the 620 and a hair above 4.0 seconds for the 620X. Acceleration is provided courtesy of a 6.2L GM V-8. A supercharger will help boost performance to 575 hp and 600 ft-lbs of torque. The more extensively tuned 620X will get 715 hp and 700 ft-lbs of torque. Owners of the SMS Camaro can choose from a manual or automatic transmission.
To help you handle all that brute power, Saleen has provided the SMS Camaro with upgraded brakes and suspension. To keep things stylish, they’ve done up the interior with leather and fancy gauges.
And the Best-Selling Automobile of 2009 was…
…the Ford F series pickup…again.
The honored F was redone for ‘09. But once the shining child of the American auto market, the F is far from its prime. The pickup achieved its high-point in ‘04 with almost 940,000 units sold. The number for ‘09? Well under 414,000. With all the cash, advertising, and labor put into it, the F couldn’t break out of the recession’s pull. The Chevrolet Silverado (#3) was well behind it with 317,000, and Dodge Ram (#10) came in with a rather weak 177,000 units.
The big truck losers? The GMC Sierra came nowhere near the Silverado’s numbers (112,000), making the argument for us that it’s time to assimilate the damn thing into the Chevy line. The Toyota Tundra, Nissan Titan, Honda Ridgeline, and Ford Explorer were nowhere to be seen. The smaller Tacoma, Escape, and RAV4 all did well, however.
The Toyota Camry was the top car and #2 overall. The sale decline with the Camry was small, as the sedan managed to push out 357,000 units. Behind it were the Corolla with 297,000, the Honda Accord with 290,000, and Civic with 260,000. The only American car to break into the top ten was Ford’s Fusion. That came in at #9 with 181,000.
Devon GTX D.O.A.
This didn’t take long: the independently built Devon GTX sports car has been terminated.
The reason? The GTX is based on the Dodge Viper; with the Viper going into retirement, the tiny Devon team has no supplier. The GTX gained attention last summer with some solid track numbers at Laguna Seca, the support of racer Justin Bell, and stylish looks.
As we all know, however: building a car company isn’t easy.
Video: The Birth of a Polyfiat
Jalopnik’s Worst Vehicles of the Millennium…Again, So Far…
Filed under: Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, Hummer, Jeep
It’s only fair for us to include Jalop’s the Worst10, since that is the more interesting list. Some cars we take issue with being included, others we wonder why not, but the list is generally pretty sensible. Take a glimpse for yourself.
Video: 200 mph Super ‘Cuda vs. Ferrari Enzo
Alfa-Romeo in Dangerous State
There’s been a lot of hype surrounding Alfa here in the US. With all the talk of the pretty cars and Italian style, observers ignore the horrid rep Alfas (and Fiats) have in reliability. For the past decade, Alfa-Romeo’s been trying to serve as the Italian Audi–which comes to a wannabe BMW. The overweight, front-drive convertibles and trouble-prone saloons aside, Alfa’s place in the Euro sales charts has been slipping big-time. Total sales are down by almost half of what they were a decade ago. Alfa and Fiat heads are looking to converge the Euro-American vehicles with Chrysler corresponding to Alfa and the dying Lancia, and Dodge hooked-up to Fiat. We’re betting on the Marchionne Magic burning out by 2015.
The Charger Question
Fiat’s worrisome Chrysler puppet is in a dire strait. That’s not news, and we all know the fate of the Chrysler and Dodge brands will hinge on new products set for release in the next two years. One is the updated 300 and the other is the Charger. The mill’s putting out that Fiat execs, uneasy about their investment, are going to try to stretch out their dollars.
The 300 is supposed to move upscale, but the Charger may be widened out. Police variants will be used to maintain steady volume, and could be processed much like the Crown Vic was. The new public model will go along the lines of what we saw with Ford’s ‘10 Fusion: rather than remake the car, Fiat will heavily modify and refine it. Noting enthusiast complaints, Dodge could offer it in two- and four-door trim, phasing out the already-tired Challenger by the mid-2010s.
Image courtesy of Ortlibas at Deviant Art.
Image Gallery: HPP Charger Daytona
HPP has embarked on its efforts to bring youth back to the Domestics with unique Vehicle interpretations, while at the same time not offending the tried and true fans of genuine muscle cars. As we have seen there has been a massive trend for our younger Gearheads to migrate to the Super Tuner and foreign car markets and they have defined a new millennial identity with these vehicles along with a culture that is different, but not unlike that of the ingenuity of the hot rodders and muscle tuners of the 50’s and 60’s. We will bring the Super Tuners in line with Domestics, while at the same time providing the spirit and fundamental excitement to the planned target audience with our upgrades on the exterior, interior, and performance components.
Statement courtesy of HPP.
Fiat Pushing Hard on Chrysler Recovery
Reworked editions of the 300, Charger, and Grand Cherokee have been underway with a 2011 target release. Fiat Group CEO Sergio Marchionne is now publicly showcasing similar enhancements for several other vehicles in order to maintain approval from the President’s automotive task force.
The Marchionne plan will heavily revise Chrysler minivans and compacts. The minivan news is not surprising, but Fiat’s intention to fix up the critically panned Caliber and Compass took the wind out of us. The Caliber and Compass have ranked poorly in in comparison tests, but discounts and favorable buyer incentives seemed to have kept sales steady.
Also on the facelift bandwagon is Jeep’s Patriot SUV and Chrysler’s neglected PT Cruiser.
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